Combination-undergarment.



No. 679,572. Patented July 30,1901.

.1. PENNINGTON.

COMBINATION UNDEBGARMENT.

(Application fllad RM. 54, 1900.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: INVENTOR,

' JOHN PENNINGTON,

Z a fi ATTORNEYS.

TH: "cams Hiram w. rnoroumov, WASHINC-IDN. u. c

UNTTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN PENNINGTON, OF CAMDEN, NEW YORK.

COMBINATION-UNDERGARMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 679,572, dated July 30, 1901.

Application filed November 24, 1900. Serial No. 37,589. No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN PENNINGTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Camden, Oneida county, New York, (whose post-office address is Camden, Oneida county, New York,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oombination-Und ergarments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new article of manufacture; and it consists of a union suit of underwear, as will hereinafter be more fully pointed out and claimed.

The objects and nature of my invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art in the light of the following description of the accompanying drawings; and my invention consists in certain novel features in construction and in combination and arrangements of parts, as more fully and particularly described and pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a front view of my new article of manufacture. Fig. 2 represents a rear view of the same with the rear flaps open. Fig. 3 represents a rear view of Fig. 2 with the flaps closed.

Similar numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

My union suit consistsof knitted fabric. The front portion 1 is knitted consecutively from the shoulder-seams 2 to the lower ends of the leg portions 3 3. The waist of the body portion at 1 is narrowed down to conform to the shape of the body and widens out below the narrow waist-line to conform to the shape of the human body at the hips, and the lower portion is tapered to the ankle and is bifurcated from point 5 for admitting the legs into the union suit. At neck portion 6, tapering from the rear of the garment toward the front, is neck-opening 7. Inside of the center of the neck-openinglprovide eyelet-stays 8 8, sewed to the inner faces of the neck portion of the union suit and provided with a series of eyelets and united at the front by means of cord 9, running through the eyelet-holes, for opening and closing the neck-opening of the garment. If it is desired to use a button and a buttonhole in the edges of stays 8 8 for fastening the garment, it may be so used without departing from my invention. 1, however,

prefer the use of the cord working through the eyelet-holes in preference to a button or buttons for opening and closing the neckopening of the garment. The sleeves 9 9 are inserted in the sides of the tubular fabric body portion in the ordinary way by making a shoulder-scam by which the sleeves are united to the body portion.

The garment is provided with a rear opening extending from the waist-line down to the crotch and under the body of the wearer and extending about half-way around the garment, about at the waist-liuethat is, from points over the hips rearwardly-and through this opening the wearer gets into and out of the garment. This rear opening is closed by peculiarly-constructed flaps 11 11, each approximately triangular in shape and of such lengths that their vertical free ends 11 11 overlap at the rear of the body of the wearer when the flaps are secured. Said free ends of the flaps preferably overlap from the waist-line down to the crotch. Each flap has an approximately straight or horizontal upper edge above the hips and about at the waistline and at its front end connected with the body portion of the garment about over the hip, so that, in effect, each flap extends rearwardly from the portion of the garment over the hip, the flaps being usually knitted with the body of the garment. The vertical edges of the flaps extend down from said upper edges, usually on curved lines, and meet at the crotch of the garment under the body of the wearer, so that each flap is formed withan upper angular corner or free end. The upper edges of the flaps are usually bound or reinforced by suitable binding 12 12. To the extremity of the binding of the flaps and at the free angular ends of the flaps I provide cords or tapes 13 13, which permit the flaps to be held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by tying the tapes 13 13 at the front 14, as shown in Fig. 1. The extreme ends of flaps 11 11 overlap each other, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. of the rear portion of the body at 1 I provide horizontal flap 14., knitted or made integral with the body portion of the garment, (best illustrated in Fig. 2 and shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3,) by means of which horizontal flap and the two side flaps the back of the person who wears the union suit is concealed and At the lower end IOO v inserted into the garment without difficulty.

The tapes or cords 13 may be omitted, if desired, and a button and buttonhole be inserted in the bound portion 12 12 for securingoropening the flaps at the will of the person who may wear the union suit, and the tapes provided for this purpose are preferablyused, although the buttonhole and button maybe used instead Without departing from the spirit of the construction of my union undergarlnent. The rear flaps are provided With horizontal waist-bindings and curved vertical edges for overlapping each other.

The union suit may be put on or taken off from the body by loosening the tapes on the flaps and pulling the upper portion of the garment over the head of the person and then removing the lower portion of the garment from the legs, or the same may be put on by putting the upper portion over the head and inserting the arms in the sleeves and then putting the feet alternately into the legs, or the legs may be first inserted in the garment and the upper portion then put over the head.

This union suit or undergarment is particularly devised for insertion and removal through the peculiar back opening, about as described, so that the advantages of a continuous closed elastic front can be retained.

and also a front opening from neck to crotch, through which the wearer gets into and out of the garment, present certain well-understood disadvantages in that the material of the garment draws from the neck down by reason of the open front, rendering the garment exceedingly uncomfortable to the wearer.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A union undergarment having the front closed from the neck-opening approximately to the crotch, and having a back opening extending transversely approximately from hip portion to hip portion and from thence downwardly to the crotch portion, and two flaps extending rearwardly from the hip portions and vertically down to the crotch and provided With fastening means, substantially as described.

2. A union u ndergarment having the closed front and a back opening extending transversely about along the waist-line from hip portion to hip portion and downwardly to the crotch portion, two elongated flaps extending rearwardly from the hip portions, each flap having an approximately straight portion along the waist-line of the garment and a vertical edge from the rear free end of the flap down to the crotch portion, and securingtapes secured to the angular free ends of said flaps, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Camden, New York, this 17th day of November, 1900.

JOHN PENNINGTON.

W'itn esses:

WILLIAM LEwIs, BURREIT B. JOHNSON.

Union undergarments with a back opening 

